BRITAIN: A British soldier has been arrested over a video showing British troops beating Iraqi teenagers in 2004, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.
A ministry spokesman also said the first battalion of the British army's Light Infantry Regiment was helping military police with their investigation into the incident.
He confirmed the man arrested on Sunday night was a serving soldier. The video, shown widely on British and Arab television, shows soldiers dragging Iraqi protesters behind a wall, beating them with batons and kicking them.
The News of the World newspaper, which released the footage, said it had been filmed from the roof of a building by another soldier. He can be heard on the tape mocking the Iraqis' plea for mercy. Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he took the latest allegations very seriously.
